Either this 2012 first-round pick will use his third season as an NFL starter to become a tier one quarterback, possibly leading South Florida's NFL franchise to the playoffs, or the franchise will begin the process of moving on.

That's no secret to anyone in the NFL, or anyone at the team's Davie facility, and that includes Tannehill himself, who admitted to ESPN that the 2014 season is "huge" for his future considering he's 15-17 as an NFL starter.

"I have to make a big jump," said Tannehill, who completed 60.4 percent of his passes last season, throwing for 3,913 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also gained 238 yards and scored a touchdown on 40 carries last season.

However, Tannehill's passer rating (81.7) ranked him 24th in the NFL last season. He threw 17 interceptions in 2014 season, got sacked 58 times, and orchestrated the NFL's sixth worst offense in yardage, and seventh worst in points per game.

Making matters worse is the fact Tannehill's most troublesome games came at the end of the season when the Dolphins lost back-to-back AFC East division games to the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets in a late-season stretch where one victory would have produced Miami's first playoff berth since 2008.

Tannehill's inconsistent play has been an issue for the Dolphins the past two seasons. He finished 2014 ranked as the NFL's 35th best quarterback in fourth-quarter performance (64.3), and checks in as the 24th best in third-down passer rating (74.6), which hints he needs to play better in critical moments.

"I'm putting in the work and time to get myself physically ready, mentally ready to learn this new offense we'll be going with this year," Tannehill told ESPN during a one-on-one interview with former NFL receiver Keyshawn Johnson. "A lot of work still to be done, but I'm looking for a big jump for myself both from a production (standpoint), and wins. That's what we play for, wins."

Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said Tannehill needs to accelerate his place speed, which involves reading the field faster, and getting the ball out his hands in a timely fashion.

Tannehill's troublesome pocket presence was a contributing factor to the franchise record 58 sacks the Dolphins allowed in 2014. The offense line is presently being rebuild, and now features Pro Bowl left tackle Brandon Albert as the team's left tackle.

The Dolphins also added former Broncos starting tailback Knowshon Moreno to the team, and Tannehill seems excited about his addition because of his ability to serve as an all-purpose back.

Moreno will compete with Lamar Miller for the starting spot, but has established himself as an effective pass catcher, and pass blocker in his NFL career, unlike Miller.

"I have a lot of respect for Knowshon and his career, what he's done so far," Tannehill told ESPN on Wednesday. "He's a guy who can run the ball, powerful runner. But he can also protect. He did a great job [protecting] for Peyton [Manning] from what I can see. I've watched film of him picking up blitzes, taking on linebackers.

"That's exciting for me as a quarterback to know that the guy standing next to you is going to be able to step up and take a lot of pressure for you."